The Bloods adopted the color red and began using the term "Bloods" to identify each other.
Bloods sets still use red as the dominant color in most cases. However, other colors may be used if they are significant
to the gang name, such as "Lime Street Pirus."

The Crips adopted the color blue for their clothing to set them apart from other gang members. Also, the Crips began using
the word "Cuzz," short for cousin, in greetings to identify each other.
Within Crips sets, blue continues to be the dominate color. However, other dark colors such as black, brown, and purple
may also be blended to identify certain sets.

Most gang members are identified by a nickname (Moniker) or street name. Often, members will not know each other by their
legal names. A nickname is important because it can give insights into a member's psychological perspective of himself, an
indicat ion of his physical description, and can aid in identification based on graffiti.

The first letter of the real name and a gang term often will be used for a moniker. Examples are
C-Bone or T-Loc. These terms are intended to express a hardness or madness to non-gang members. Many members will tattoo
their moniker on their body.

Both Crips and Bloods have their own rules for speaking or writing to their "homeboys." Homeboy is another name
for a gang member.

Some common rules exist. Such as, Crips do not use the letter "B"; Bloods will not use the letter "C"
and will replace it with a "B". For example, "cigarette: would become "bigarette."

Communications may take different forms, and we must recognize these "identifiers" if we are to successfully
deal with gangs. Clothing, guns, jewelry, hand signals, and tattoos are all forms of communication to gang members. All of
these may be used as in inroad when interviewing gang members.

Graffiti is used by gang members to communicate territorial limits and broadcast warnings or publicize a challenge to
other street gangs. Challenges are made by one gang putting their graffiti on another's territory. This can be considered
a killing of fense by the gangs. Also, simply crossing out of other gang's graffiti may lead to serious retaliation measures.
Graffiti is an effective way to keep track of gang rosters, geographic locations, and gang violence.

This is Bloods graffiti: Blood Graffiti Bloods and Crips Crips and Bloods Bloods and Crips Crips and Bloods

This is Crips graffiti: Crip Graffiti Bloods and Crips Crips and Bloods Bloods and Crips Crips and Bloods

Please remember that Crips will also use Folk Nation identifiers and the Bloods will use the People Nation identifiers.
Allies

For the Crips allies are any gang that considers the Bloods an enemy and vice versa for the Bloods.
Enemies

Crips and Bloods sets are rivals. And since Crips and Bloods are affiliated with Folk and People Nations respectively,
they are then rivals of all Folk or People sets and subsets.

Traditionally Folk Nation aligned sets and People Nation aligned sets are rivals. In addition, various other national
and local street gangs develop as rivals, allies and/or initiate alliances. Under each of these alliances there are literally
hundreds of individual sets or gangs. These alliances and rivalries are constantly changing and need to be reviewed frequently

The Bloods present a significant threat
to law enforcement officers not only due to their predatory and violent behavior, but more importantly, due to their intense
rivalry with the Crips. Both the Crips and the Bloods have a strong fascination with assault-type weapons...

The Bloods
formed from the Piru gang on 1972 at Centennial High School, taking the Piru Bloods name from "Piru" street in Compton,
California. The group formed to protect members from the Crips. Other gangs with the same motive started using the Pirus&#8217;
and Bloods&#8217; names to signify alignment with the main gang. Although the Bloods&#8217; membership is smaller
than the Crips, they are potentially more dangerous, particularly when present in numbers.